It is not that often that people get a second chance. It is less likely if you are serving a prison term.
That is why Rutgers Center Director Dr. Nancy Wolff has contributed time and effort to her program “Community 101,” which rehabilitates inmates by preparing them with the necessary skills to be re-acclimated to everyday life.
Wolff’s program works in conjunction with the Center for Behavioral Health Services and Criminal Justice Research at the University and the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Wolff said her vision is to help people leave prison and to not return.
“My hope is to build empowerment for these women,” Wolff said. “[Inmates] are building skills while in prison to be pro-social while also building potential in order to be productive in the community.”
“Community 101,” which just completed its inaugural class at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, N.J., is a 14-week skills-based, practice-focused course aimed to help prisoners prepare for their return to society, according to a release.
Many of the programs help prisoners cope with different aspects of their lives that may have led them to the mistakes they made, Wolff said. Focused skill-sets include better ways to deal with stress, balancing a budget and even how to be healthier.
Many concepts are the same as those preached to University students, Wolff said.
The program’s initial success can be seen in one of Wolff’s star pupils, Cathy Xerri, who graduated from the first class and has remained active in working with Wolff for the next classes.
Ninety-seven percent of currently incarcerated prisoners will eventually be released back into society, making rehabilitation the more sensible option, according to the release.
“People need to understand that most prisoners are going to return to the community and we need to be productive members of that community,” Xerri said. “We need to bridge the gap to the people on the outside of the perception to the people on the inside.”
Xerri, who has a degree in English and journalism, is now in a position where she can use her experiences and skill set to help the next wave of prisoners who want to participate in “Community 101.” Xerri now manages the community center in the correctional facility and meets with her peers to help them get readjusted to life outside the fences, she said.
“I’ve worked in corporate America and I know how to hold a job,” Xerri said. “Some of these women are going to have trouble adjusting to that part of life [outside of prison]. I can use my knowledge to help them.”
The debate has always weighed on whether prison should be a tool for punishment or a tool for rehabilitation, said Colleen Prairie, a Rutgers College senior who is considering a career in social work.
“I don’t think that just because a person is put in prison that they should lose all the rights and chances that we have,” Prairie said. “If we just keep telling them ‘no’ then it’s going to push them back down the same path that took them to where they are now in the first place. They have to be allowed a second chance.”
“Community 101” has been working just by the numbers of inmates that want to participate, Wolff said.
The greater anomaly is that the lessons learned through the program are being passed along not only by the teachers but also from peers, Xerri said.
“I would have never foreseen myself coming to prison; it was a mistake, not my lifestyle,” Xerri said. “This program has been an eye-opener, and it’s something that I’d like to pass along.”
Inmate program guides women back into society
Published: Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, February 11, 2009
3 comments
arlena james
i have been release from jail twenty years ago, it is hard to obtain employment even now. i come to ralize that we as ex cons have to prove ourselve harder than someone who never been to jail. society is not that nice, but don't give up God is good and he will work it out for you. Have patience lots and lots of paitence it will manifest and it will be on time. it will be where you need to be not where you want to be.
Jan Balderas
I was released from prison on Dec. 26 2008, i made a poor judgement that ended me up in prison. I have never been in trouble before and I am a 47 year old female. I cannot find a job that is willing to give me a chance. I am a good person and work very well with the public. Please is there anyone out there willing to help me? Thank You Jan Balderas
Ricky A. mcIntosh
There is a trend going on in this country to prepair inmates for society when they are about to get released. I worked in state and federal prisons for over 25 years and have come to several conclusion. Waiting for an inmate to be released in 12 months to start getting them ready for society is wrong. Nationally that what is being done. Correctional institutions should be a training facility for reentry the minute inmates come to prison and start serving sentence. My company has a program that will assist in prepairing individuals for this mission www.correctionalprograms.com/targetingsuccess.html will show you what I'm talking about. I will not say that this is the only thing you need, inmates need interaction from society, the ability to make sound decisions on their own and the knowledge that they are not alone. What an inmate will leave with this program is a completed protofiolo, printed with infomation they provided to the program. It's all about owenership. By the way great article, in the next few years reentry will become a major focus, if you take into consideration we will be releasing over 750,000 individual back into society THIS YEAR.
